After all the planning, designing, painting and marketing that has gone into ‘The Trophy Winners’, it’s certainly been worth it so far.
With that in mind, my next project is going to be something of a similar scale and Artshub47’s “open exhibition” in November is the target event for it to be ready for…

Yes that’s FOUR MONTHS away, which seems a very long time but remember I started the painting of ‘The Trophy Winners’ in April and the first batch of prototype prints were only produced in mid-July (THREE MONTHS overall). This project is going to be bigger and more difficult, plus it will definitely take longer because there will be colour involved too.

17/08/17: first 20mins…

1hr45…

23/08/17: 3hrs15…

02/09/17: 10hrs…

03/11/17: after other work aspects taking precedence, back to it today. This is now a target piece for Spring 2018, so I’ll be dipping in and out of this painting in between focusing on the sales aspect of business leading up to Christmas. 11hrs30 so far…

06/11/17: 13hrs30…

10/11/17: 15hrs30…

04/01/18: 20hrs, delving back into this and nothing else until it’s done this year…

Today is the official launch day of a new product in the ‘I Con Art’ range and I’m HUGELY excited! After weeks of research, painting, planning, digital editing and printing (by the studio) and hours of promotion, ‘The Trophy Winners’ is now available to order online from my Etsy shop: http://www.iconartbymahoney.etsy.com and comes in a very special “chocolate bar-style” canvas print on wooden block.

Featuring the last 8 Liverpool managers to win silverware since Shankly, ‘The Trophy Winners’ was created to celebrate LFC’s rich history and to emphasise how success is REALLY measured in football…by winning trophies, not earning money.
The initial response to product trials at my studio’s kiosk (Poto Studios) at the Pier Head Village over the last two weeks has been phenomenal, so I expect to sell out of this classy-looking piece of Liverpool history quite regularly…

It fills me with great pride to say that my new ‘Scouse Superhero Scandal Series’ of Liverpool-themed superhero artwork now adorns the walls of a very well-known and well-respected local business – The Directors Cut!

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They are an award winning traditional barber shop with a modern twist, located in the heart of Aigburth Vale in Liverpool (just a stones throw from Jericho Lane and 5 minutes away from my home studio in Sefton Park). I’ve been going to The Directors Cut to get my head shaved/styled for a couple of years now and, despite me being follically challenged, they work their magic and I always come out looking ten years younger! 😉
I’m now also advertising in the shop on the big screen…

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The Directors Cut specialise in both traditional and modern haircuts for men as well as offering advanced beard grooming services. They have been open for 5 and a half years now and have gone from owner Dom being a one-man-band to a trio, with the addition of Nathan (his right-hand-man/Assistant Manager who Dom trained from scratch as a young man straight out of school) and the latest addition, Amy, who has transferred across from the hairdressing world to barbering, with the guidance and mentoring of both Dom and Nathan.

(Click to enlarge)

As I said before, I used to shave my own head but that all changed after I had been jogging on a different route than normal one day which fatefully took me past The Directors Cut – I couldn’t help but be fascinated by their sign – similar to ‘The Godfather’, one of my all time favourite movies!

(Click to enlarge)

I have since asked Dom about the whole theme of The Directors Cut and he said this:

“It all comes from my love of movies. It’s a play on words and works on different levels:
The ‘Directors Cut’ being a version of a movie as the Director intended it to be seen without being cut to meet content, time or age certification criteria. So my clients will be seen how I want them to be seen – looking their best!
Also, I’m the director of the company so getting your haircut by the director, me, you are getting The Director’s Cut!”

Considering ‘I Con Art’ is also a play on words relating to my subject matter (icons/iconic scenes) and the fact I have no art training or qualifications (I’m a con artist?), it now seems I have something else in common with The Directors Cut besides movie-appreciation. It’s an absolute pleasure to be associated with such a high-class business and such genuine people – find more info about The Directors Cut at http://www.thedirectorscutl17.co.uk

I’m fortunate to have been invited back to this great event which was really well attended last year and featured live music/performances and all kinds of stuff for all the family to enjoy. It’s not what you know its WHO you know 😉 haha!

Really looking forward to this one

08/07/17: Another good day attended by hundreds of locals and I was really happy how my stall looked so I got my mate Keith to take a similar photo to the one he took last year haha!…

Back in the local between 11am and 5pm, where I’ll hopefully have a new piece of display apparatus that I intend to make this week especially!

It was a good day all round really, with decent sales for lark lane and loads of great feedback and reactions to both the new display stands and also the new superhero work (captured in this photo I caught of a member of the public smiling as he reads)…

A rare art/craft market that I’ll be attending this year! I’ve been taking a back seat from these types of events as they don’t really work out financially for me. This could well be my last of 2017. It’s over three days but I’ll only be there on Saturday and Sunday, not the Monday

This was my stall on the Saturday before all of the ‘Scouse Superhero Scandal’ newspaper series was purchased!…

After returning from Paris, I’m definitely in a different place art-wise.
I just took a blank 18×14″ canvas today and began painting whatever comes in to my head. My aim here is to not look at anything for inspiration (photos etc) and just go with my thoughts.